(laughter) please welcome brooke gladstone. (cheers and applause) hey, brooke! nice to see you again. thanks for coming on! >> thank you. >> stephen: now you are the host of npr's "on the media." and you are also the author of the new book "the influencing machine: brooke gladstone on the media." what is the influence magazine? is it this? >> yes, actually, it is. >> stephen: i am a member of the media? >> you are part of the influence magazine. except that there is no influencing machine. this it too is what i want to fight: the popular notion that the media are controlling our minds. it's really a mirror. what? no, i have control! i have control. clap for me, my monkeys. (cheers and applause) i believe the words you ear looking for "check and mate." (laughter) what do you mean? the media does not have... but that's everything that i shear that the media has control over the minds of its audience. we're all being brainwashed. >> well, the media are reflecting everything that we are as a people and as a civilization. and some of that is pretty disgusting. some o